Reading Rooms and smaller buildings

Hermitage Library and Hall, Scottish Borders, 1910

Although Carnegie Libraries are most often identified as urban buildings, a large number of the grants issued under the Library grant scheme were for small communities in rural areas, especially in Carnegie’s native Scotland. Many of these grants were extremely small with buildings costing in the region of £50 in total to build. Nevertheless the same grant application process was required, providing a site, demonstrating evidence of a local subscription and making a commitment to provide a reading room. Many of these buildings were therefore defined as a “village hall and reading room” or a “local institute” – very few still contain a reading room and many seem never to have done. Interestingly, their survival rate as versatile community buildings is significantly higher than that of the more designated library buildings.

There are just a handful of sheet metal Carnegie Library buildings, however they belong to the same era of opportunity offered by the availability of new prefabricated components. Their merits were also promoted “for churches, mission rooms, schools, lecture and drill halls, dwelling houses, billiard rooms, shooting lodges, workmen’s cottages, cricket pavilions etc”[1]

Advertisement: Blackwall Galvanised Iron Company, Engineer’s Compendium, 1893
Instructions for building a “Corrugated Iron Building” – Building World 26.11.1898

Our research has identified 77 such smaller buildings which received funding under a library grant but which were not primarily purpose built libraries. Of these, 16 are in England, 4 in Wales and 57 are in Scotland. The grant amounts and the dates of the grants have been noted from the lists in the archives of the Carnegie Corporation of New York held at Columbia University and supplemented by reference to records of the Carnegie UK Trust archives held in the National Archives of Scotland.

DateBuilding nameTypeGrant amountDate of grantPostcode
1910AdviePurpose built village hall and reading room£15012/10/1909PH26 3LP
1909Baldridgeburn LibraryPurpose built village hall and reading room£4,20026/10/1906KY12 9EH
1913BarrPurpose built village hall and reading room£50017/06/1901KA26 9TW
1911Beattock Summitt, CrawfordPurpose built village hall and reading room£10515/7/1909 and 17/7/1911DG10 9QZ
1905Beoley carnegie reading room Purpose built reading room£50023/6/1903 and 5/7/1907B98 9AN
1911Bettyhill Library Purpose built village hall and reading room£15019/08/1908KW14 7SU
1900BrydekirkPurpose built village hall and reading room£4024/10/1899DG12 5LY
1905Burra (Hamnavoe)Purpose built village hall and reading room£17021/9/1904 and 27/9/1905ZE2 9LA
1909CarronPurpose built village hall and reading room£13720/11/1908 and 25/09/1909AB38 7QP
1914Catton, AllendalePurpose built village hall and reading room£5027/09/1912NE47 9QR
1907ChillatonPurpose built village hall and reading room£3312/7/1906 and 25/2/1907PL16 0HP
1907ClashmorePurpose built village hall and reading roomunknown1906IV25 3RG
1907Coalsnaughton Purpose built village hall and reading room£50012/07/1906FK13 6JW
1908Cullivoe Shetland (North Yell)Purpose built village hall and reading room£12513/12/1907ZE2 9BB
1916Cunningsburgh ShetlandPurpose built village hall and reading room£15016/08/1906zE2 9HB
1900Dunbeath Purpose built institute£15013/09/1900KW6 6EG
1907DunrossnessPurpose built village hall and reading room£20028/02/1906 and 6/10/1906ZE2 9JW
1914Edinburgh – Juniper GreenPurpose built village hall and reading room£10017/01/1917EH14 5DX
1892Ellon Carnegie reading Room (Melvin Hall Tarves)Purpose built village hall and reading room£1001/9/1891AB41 7GX
1906Elphin and Knockan (Lairg)Purpose built village hall and reading room£2512/07/1906IV27 4HH
1909EttrickPurpose built village hall and reading room£15006/08/1906TD7 5JA
1911Forss Purpose built village hall and reading room£6702/09/1911KW14 7XX
1911GranboroughPurpose built village hall and reading room£20010/01/1910MK18 3NN
1909Great HollandPurpose built village hall and institute£23605/08/1909CO13 0JT
1911GuildtownPurpose built village hall and reading room£26009/09/1910PH2 6BY
1904Hatton (Cruden)(Slains)Purpose built village hall and reading room£80002/06/1904AB42 0HZ
1908Haugh of Urr Hall and Public LibraryPurpose built village hall and reading room£10013/02/1906DG7 3YA
1910Hermitage Library and HallPurpose built village hall and reading room£8115/07/1909TD9 0LX
1905Hoswick (Stove or Sandwick) (Carnegie Hall) ShetlandPurpose built village hall and reading room£10028/12/1903ZE2 9HH
1904Innellan LibraryPurpose built village hall and reading room£10014/08/1901PA23 7TH
1912Invergarry Purpose built village hall and reading room£5002/08/1911PH35 4HL
1914Irongray Public Library and Hall (Shawhead Village)Purpose built village hall and reading room£10406/08/1910DG2 9SN
1909Kingston DevonPurpose built village hall and reading room£5418/08/1909TQ7 4QE
1932Kyle of Lochalsh LibraryPurpose built village hall and reading room£10008/12/1900IV40 8AB
1906Llantwit Fardre LibraryPurpose built village hall and reading room£1,50029/06/1903CF38 1PY
1909Low RowPurpose built village hall and institute£12514/11/1907DL11 6PE
1903LumphananPurpose built village hall and reading room£5016/08/1906AB31 4SE
1903Lybster libraryPurpose built village hall and reading room£3029/01/1904KW3 6AE
1901Lydney Purpose built institute£1,50022/6/1901 28/06/1905GL15 5DY
1927Mallaig Library Purpose built village hall and reading room£19230/09/1908PH41 4QF
1910Mary Tavy Purpose built village hall and institute£10002/12/1909PL19 9QR
1908Maxton Library Purpose built village hall and reading room£50017/10/1901TD6 0RL
1911MelnessPurpose built village hall and reading room£15027/11/1911IV27 4YS
1903Merthyr Tydfil – AbercanaidPurpose built village hall and reading room£70017/6/1902, 29/5/1903 and 20/6/1905CF48 1RQ
1903Merthyr Tydfil – Pen-y-Darren Library Purpose built village hall and reading room£70017/6/1902, 29/5/1903 and 20/6/1905CF47 9HT
1908Mid YellPurpose built village hall and reading room£19027/09/1912ZE2 9BN
1906Morar Purpose built village hall and reading room£5028/06/1905PH40 4PJ
1904Nethy BridgePurpose built institute£30006/10/1902PH25 3DG
1906Newmill InstitutePurpose built village hall and reading room£30020/09/1904AB55 6TW
1909OccoldPurpose built village hall and reading room£3015/07/1909IP23 7PW
1912Peatling MagnaPurpose built village hall and reading room£2521/11/1911LE8 5LW
1906Pleasley (Verney Institute)Purpose built institute£40006/07/1903NG19 7PL
1902Portmahomack Carnegie HallPurpose built village hall and reading room£6008/10/1898IV20 1YD
1905Rannoch Purpose built village hall and reading room£6020/06/1905PH17 2QE
1903RhonehousePurpose built village hall and reading room£7515/09/1903DG7 1SA
1901Rosehall (Altass)Purpose built village hall and reading room£35004/06/1902IV27 4BD
1910Royal Four Towns Purpose built town hall and reading room£25031/08/1909DG11 1JN
1902Scalloway LibraryPurpose built village hall and reading room£20006/01/1900ZE1 0TX
1898South Unst People’s Institute (Uyeasound)Purpose built village hall and reading room£7528/09/1897ZE2 9DN
1900Spinningdale Free Library Purpose built village hall and reading room£25016/12/1899IV24 3AD
1912St CyrusPurpose built village hall and reading room£50006/01/1911DD10 0BQ
1923StrachurPurpose built village hall and reading room£60028/09/1909PA27 8DF
1909SymingtonPurpose built village hall and reading room£3755/8/1909 and 18/1/1910KA1 5QZ
1905TaynuiltPurpose built village hall and reading room£12530/10/1902PA35 1JH
1904TemplandPurpose built village hall and reading room£5029/06/1904DG11 1TY
1911Thankerton Purpose built village hall and reading room£22206/08/1910ML12 6NZ
1905TingwallPurpose built village hall and reading room£1506/8/1904 and 20/6/1905ZE2 9XT
1911Torryburn Library Purpose built village hall and reading room£1,00007/09/1909KY12 8SR
1903Trecynon Public Hall and LibraryPurpose built village hall and reading room£1,50017/10/1901CF44 8PA
1903Twynholm HallPurpose built village hall and reading room£10016/1/1899DG6 4NT
1910Vidlin Lunnasting public hallPurpose built village hall and reading room£20025/06/1909ZE2 9QB
1911Waberthwaite and Corney InstitutePurpose built village hall and institute£10007/12/1911LA19 5YJ
1909WallsPurpose built village hall and reading room£30014/03/1905ZE2 9PD
1909Whalsay (Isbister)Purpose built village hall and reading room£16214/12/1908ZE2 9AJ
1911Whitehills Library (Public Hall)Purpose built village hall and reading room£28320/11/1908AB45 2LT
1911WortonPurpose built village hall and reading room£7708/10/1910SN10 5SH
1919YarlingtonPurpose built village hall and reading room£3502/08/1911BA9 8DY

[1] Advertisement from Isaac Dixon & Co. Windsor Ironworks, Liverpool in SEARS, J. E. (1893). The architects’, surveyors’ and engineers’ compendium and complete catalogue … seventh annual issue. p.388